anonymous

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"Your sword's grown old and rusty
Burnt beneath the rising sun" - Laments the decay and disuse of the katanas of the Samurai, we know this because prior to WWII Japanese citizens referred to Japan as the Empire of The Rising Sun.

"It's locked up like a trophy
Forgetting all the things it's done" - Recalls the glory of the shogunate and the Edo era when Samurai were last the strongest.

"And though it's been a long time
You're right back where you started from
I see it in your eyes
That now you're giving up the gun" - The Japanese realize the downside of technology and return to swords, a metaphor for giving up the comforts of modern society to return to a simpler life.

"When I was 17
I had wrists like steel
And I felt complete" - Both referring to the strength and idealism of youth, and to the anatomy of a katana, the 'wrist' of the sword, the suba, seppa, and habaki that connect the hilt guard, handle, and blade.

"And now my body fades
Behind a brass charade
And I'm obsolete" - Gunmetal, or red brass, was used to make guns doing the first few centuries of gun's existence. The prevalence and spread of guns makes the sword's purpose useless.

"But if the chance remained
To see those better days
I'd cut the cannons down" - If given a chance, the Samurai would destroy the cannons and guns.

"My ears are blown to bits
From all the rifle hits
But still I crave that sound" - The sound of battle is to be craved, it was considered the highest shame to surrender to an enemy. This was true of both the Samurai and the Japanese army during WWII.